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4-24-09--Growers Say Out of State Trial
Attorneys Miss the Point in Kansas Atrazine Lawsuit
Two out-of-state law firms are now saying that two Kansas grower groups are
simply trying to protect the financial success of a Swiss chemical company
after the corn and grain sorghum associations blew the whistle on an effort
to sign up Kansas towns to join a lawsuit against the maker of atrazine.
Nothing could be farther from the truth, according to Jere White, executive
director of the Kansas Corn Growers Association and Kansas Grain Sorghum
Producers Association. Instead, corn and sorghum farmers are working to
protect access to an important herbicide that has been safely used to
control weeds on Kansas farms for years.
“The financial success we are concerned about is a lot closer to home. It is
in the corn and sorghum fields of Marion County, Kansas,” White said. “A
frivolous lawsuit like this can result in taking atrazine off the shelves in
Kansas and throughout farm country. That would have far reaching
consequences with our growers who rely on atrazine for weed control and
conservation tillage.”
KCGA and KGSPA were surprised to learn earlier this month that the farming
communities of Hillsboro and Marion had signed on to a lawsuit against the
makers of atrazine alleging contamination of their drinking water. Atrazine
levels in the drinking water of both cities are well below the 3 parts per
billion drinking water standard set by the Environmental Protection Agency.
In a statement to the media, the trial attorney firms of Baron and Budd,
P.C. and Korein Tillery claimed that Kansas corn and sorghum farmers are
only interested in protecting the financial interests of a Swiss company.
“Law firms whose office locations include Dallas, Chicago, Beverly Hills and
St. Louis are claiming that they are just trying to protect the little guy
in Marion County? I find that hard to swallow,” White said.
According to published reports, the law firms, headquartered in Dallas and
St. Louis, will retain a third to a half of all the winnings if the lawsuit
is successful.
“It sounds to me like these big city lawyers are the ones protecting their
financial interests in this case,” White said. “They are in Kansas trolling
for water systems to sign on to their lawsuit because it is in their
financial interest to do so.”
Kansas farmers use atrazine to control broadleaf weeds in corn and sorghum.
Growers have funded research in Kansas to develop best management practices
that help keep atrazine on the fields and away from sources of drinking
water. In addition, atrazine is a crucial tool for conservation tillage in
Kansas.
“We’re in this to protect our growers’ interests,” White said. “Atrazine is
a safe, effective and affordable herbicide that helps our growers control
weeds in their crops. What’s more, our growers are using practices that are
keeping the levels of atrazine well below EPA’s drinking water standard.
That means even according to EPA’s extremely strict standards, atrazine at
these levels presents no threat to drinking water.”
The trial attorneys have told cities they are only after compensation from a
foreign herbicide maker and no one else will be hurt by this lawsuit.
“I’m not so sure that is true,” White asserted. “The contract entered into
by the cities of Marion and Hillsboro states that damages may be sought not
only from the maker of atrazine, but also anyone who sells it. They are
talking about the ag retailers in our state, the local dealers like farmers
cooperatives who provide our farmers with their crop protection tools.”
The Baron and Budd and Korein Tillery law firms asserted that cities are
required to add filtration systems just to get atrazine levels within
federal standards.
“If your atrazine levels are well within the federal standards anyway, why
would you invest in new filtration systems to meet those standards,” White
said. “Their premise is flawed in that they believe water should be
completely free of all levels of contaminants. The list of contaminants that
EPA monitors is six pages long with a total of 87 contaminants with maximum
contaminant levels designated. That’s good news for Baron and Budd and
Korein Tillery—once they are done with atrazine, they have a lot of other
moneymakers to go after.”
The trial attorneys in their statement asserted that Syngenta, one of the
makers of atrazine is boosting its efforts to sell the herbicide in the U.S.
since they no longer sell it in Europe.
“I listen to a lot of ag radio and read a lot of ag publications, and I
can’t remember the last time I heard or saw an ad for atrazine,” White said.
“It’s an ingredient in several herbicide products, but you just don’t see
companies out there pushing atrazine on our farmers. Ads are focused on
newer technologies. Farmers are already aware of atrazine because they have
used it safely for years.”
City officials claim that their communities’ drinking water is safe, but are
seeking damages in a lawsuit that claims that atrazine at any level makes
drinking water unsafe.
“Hillsboro and Marion are suing on the assumption that the drinking water is
contaminated with atrazine. The cities signed on to the lawsuit over
drinking water contamination, but then say their water is safe. They are
right, their water is safe because atrazine levels are far below the federal
drinking water standard. So why are they in this lawsuit?”
The law firms also commend the cities for their compliance with the Kansas
Open Records Act and Kansas Open Meetings Act. The growers associations have
formally requested that the Marion County Attorney’s office investigate
alleged violations of the open meetings and records act.
“It shouldn’t take almost a month and filing a formal complaint to get
public documents,” White said. “If these out-of-state law firms think that
is commendable, maybe they need to become more familiar with Kansas law.”
The growers associations are continuing their dialogue with cities and water
systems in Kansas. “We are encouraging cities and other water systems to
talk to the experts at EPA or the Kansas Department of Health and
Environment before jumping onto the trial attorneys’ bandwagon,” White said.
4-23-09--City of Hillsboro Supplies Atrazine
Lawsuit Records to Growers Associations
After nearly a month of efforts, the Kansas Corn Growers Association and
Kansas Grain Sorghum Producers Association received information used by the
Marion and Hillsboro city councils when they joined a lawsuit against the
makers of the herbicide atrazine.
On April 13, the associations asked the Marion County Attorney to
investigate alleged violations of the Kansas Open Records Act, and the
Kansas Open Meetings Act by the cities of Marion and Hillsboro. The city
councils met in a closed session last month to discuss entering into a
lawsuit against the manufacturers of atrazine. Later, both cities voted in
open sessions to join the lawsuit being initiated by the Texas law firm
Baron and Budd, P.C.
“I made an informal request to Hillsboro city manager Larry Paine for
certain meeting materials on March 27. On April 2, I mailed to both cities a
formal request asking for the materials in accordance with the Kansas Open
Records Act,” White said. “The City of Marion denied the existence of
documents, and the City of Hillsboro denied us access, although the
documents were given to the local newspaper. This led to our request to the
Marion County Attorney for an investigation into open records and meetings
violations.”
The associations received the requested materials from the City of Hillsboro
on April 23. The City of Marion has told us through their legal counsel that
certain requested items were not retained after the March 12 meeting.
It is a fundamental right to all Kansans to have access to records and
meetings of their elected officials in a timely manner. The state law gives
only a small set of circumstances in which access may be denied and the
state law requires that public bodies respond to an open records request
within three business days.
“We began requesting these materials nearly a month ago, and we were ignored
until we asked for an investigation by the county attorney,” White said.
The growers associations are hoping other communities that are contacted
make better informed decisions on the atrazine lawsuit.
“We are trying to let other communities know about this issue so they can
make informed decisions on whether to join the lawsuit, urging them to talk
to experts at EPA or the Kansas Department of Health and Environment who
understand the drinking water standards,” White said.
In his request to the Marion County Attorney, White also questioned the
legality of the two councils meeting together in a closed session to discuss
the lawsuit. To date, the Marion County Attorney has not responded to the
association’s request, but County Attorney Susan Robson told the Marion
County Record that she is looking into the matter.
“Regardless of the recent receipt of materials, we fully expect that the
issue of compliance with our states “sunshine” laws will be explored and
determined,” added White. “Citizens should not have to jump through so many
hoops to have access to public documents.”
4-14-09--Kansas
Growers Ask Marion County Attorney to Investigate Open Records, Open Meeting
Violations
The Marion County Attorney has been asked to investigate alleged violations
of the Kansas Open Records Act, and the Kansas Open Meetings Act by the
cities of Marion and Hillsboro. Kansas Corn Growers Association Executive
Director Jere White made the request on Monday. The city councils of Marion
and Hillsboro met in a closed session last month to discuss whether to enter
into a lawsuit against the manufacturers of atrazine, a herbicide used by
corn and grain sorghum farmers.
White requested from both cities copies of all materials relating to the
health effects of atrazine that were provided to the Councils. The City of
Hillsboro did not respond to the formal request, but in response to an
earlier informal request, City Administrator Larry Paine said the documents
were reviewed in executive session and were protected by attorney-client
privilege. The City of Marion denied the existence of any documents.
“Although one city official denied the existence of documents, and another
denied us access, these documents were provided to the local media,” White
said. “You can’t pick and choose. You can’t deny one person the documents,
and then give them to someone else.”
White also requested and did not receive a response to his request for a
copy of the contract that the City of Hillsboro entered into with the law
firm. In his letter to the county attorney, Susan Hobson, White also
challenged the legality under the Kansas Open Meetings Act for two separate
councils to meet together in executive session.
“I’ve served in local government myself and I understand how important it is
to follow the open records and open meetings laws,” White said. “We have
tried to do things properly by making formal requests for information to the
cities. When we were denied or ignored, we talked to the Kansas Attorney
General’s office which recommended asking the Marion County Attorney to
investigate the matter.”
The Kansas Corn Growers Association and Kansas Grain Sorghum Producers
Association became involved when the two cities agreed to join in a lawsuit
against the makers of atrazine. Both towns’ water systems fall well below
the 3 parts per billion drinking water standard for atrazine. City officials
were reportedly told that atrazine is more dangerous at even lower levels.
White, who has been involved in EPA’s Special Review of atrazine since 1995,
said he had not heard any substantiated research to back those claims.
“Basically you’ve got trial attorneys looking to make some money by
convincing people their drinking water is unsafe,” White said. “EPA sets
stringent standards for safe drinking water and the water that is provided
to the people of Marion and Hillsboro is well within those standards.
Instead of taking the word of these Texas trial attorneys, the city councils
should have also consulted with the Kansas Department of Health and
Environment or EPA.”
4-2-09--Kansas Farming
Communities Targeted by Trial Attorneys for Atrazine Lawsuit
News that two Kansas agricultural communities have signed on as participants
in a class action lawsuit against the maker of the farm herbicide atrazine
came as both a surprise and a disappointment to the Kansas Corn Growers
Association and the Kansas Grain Sorghum Producers Association. The cities
of Hillsboro and Marion were selected by a group of Texas trial lawyers
seeking drinking water systems to sign on to their case.
Jere White, executive director of KCGA and KGSPA has been involved with
atrazine issues on a national level since 1995 when the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) began a Special Review of the triazine herbicides
including atrazine.
“What concerns me is that these city councils only heard one-sided
information provided by the Texas law firm of Baron and Budd, which will
reportedly collect a third of any winnings of the lawsuit,” White said. “Why
not also get information from experts that don’t have a monetary interest,
like Kansas Department of Health and Environment or EPA?”
In 2006, the Environmental Protection Agency gave a favorable risk
assessment to the triazine herbicides including atrazine concluding that
they pose no harm that would result to the general U.S. population, infants,
children or other consumers.
After the EPA’s positive science-based findings on atrazine, activists have
turned to the legal system in hopes of finding another way to ban the
herbicide, White said.
“When we became involved in the Special Review of atrazine, we simply wanted
EPA to make a decision on scientific fact regardless of the outcome,” he
said. “Now the debate has moved into the legal arena, where fear and
misinformation can sometimes carry more weight than proven scientific fact.
EPA assembled numerous expert science panels to review and advisee the
agency in its decision. Their science is sound.”
Media reports state that the city officials were told their communities had
nothing to lose by getting involved in the lawsuit.
“From reading the news reports, it appears the councils had been convinced
that no one loses in this lawsuit except for a big foreign-owned chemical
company. That could not be further from the truth. Farmers rely on atrazine
for safe and economical weed control, and lawsuits like this threaten their
ability to buy and use this product. Any costs incurred with this lawsuit
will be borne by farmers, regardless of the outcome,” White said. “The Texas
trial attorneys made it sound like the lottery—but the jackpot will go to
Baron and Budd.”
Water testing shows that both communities fall well below the 3 parts per
billion standard for atrazine in drinking water. This Federal standard is an
annual average based on lifetime exposure. However, Hillsboro city manager
Larry Paine was quoted in news stories saying that even lower levels of
atrazine are a concern to public health, claiming that lower levels seem to
be more dangerous to higher levels.
“I have personally been involved in the EPA Special Review and
Reregistration of atrazine since 1995. I have heard a lot of wild claims,
but I have never heard anything like that,” White said. “EPA performed a
science-based review of atrazine that spanned well over a decade and
concluded that atrazine does not pose a risk even at levels three times
higher than those reported at Hillsboro.”
Communities and their water systems also have a stake in making sure that
water standards are science-based.
“It is in the best interest of water systems and to public safety to have
standards that are set by science-based methods, rather than litigation,”
White said. “Water systems themselves add chemicals to the water to make it
safe to drink. Those water disinfectants create contaminants, yet within the
standards, they are considered safe. If science-based standards are not
protective in the eyes of Hillsboro and Marion city leaders, how can they
expect their constituents to accept their assurance that their drinking
water is safe? Water consumed by their citizens will always contain more
than hydrogen and oxygen.”
Cities should be wary of trial lawyer’s tactics and seek information from a
neutral party, like KDHE or EPA. “There are volumes of peer reviewed science
available on atrazine that were generated throughout EPA’s Special Review of
the triazine herbicides, which include atrazine,” White said. “Our growers
have worked for years to make sure that we are using atrazine responsibly on
our fields. We have funded research at K-State to establish and implement
practices to keep atrazine from running off our fields into rivers and
streams. Now we have trial attorneys from Texas coming to our rural Kansas
towns and apparently feeding them a lot of misinformation to get them to
sign on to their lawsuit. Cities and other water systems in Kansas should
use diligence if approached by trial attorneys on any issue, including this
one.”
3-25-09--Kansas
Con Commissioners Get Firsthand Look at Importance of Strong Asian Markets
for US Beef
Assessing efforts to regain market share for
U.S. beef in Japan and Korea was the focus of three Kansas corn
commissioners in a recent trip with the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF).
Members of the Kansas Corn Commission have returned from Japan and South
Korea where they observed the work of USMEF and the retail and foodservice
performance of U.S. beef and pork products. These two countries are major
importers of U.S. red meat.
Corn Commissioners Brian Baalman of Menlo, Ken McCauley of White Cloud, Bob
Timmons of Fredonia, and KCC Executive Director Jere White were joined on
the trip by USMEF Vice Chairman Keith Miller of Great Bend, and farm
broadcaster Greg Akagi of the Kansas Agriculture Network. White said the
Kansas Corn Commission is marking its 30th year of work with the US Meat
Export Federation, and over that time, has invested over one million dollars
in building red meat export markets through USMEF.
“A few years ago we surpassed one million dollars in funding to the USMEF
which is a significant amount of dollars from a checkoff program that is
relatively small in comparison to other corn states,” KCC Executive Director
Jere White said. “We’ve made a commitment, and we wanted to highlight that
relationship back to our friends in the livestock industry, and also to help
educate ourselves. We were there with three commissioners that are making
the funding decisions to give them an actual hands-on look at how their
decisions are actually making a difference. We certainly saw that in our
visits.”
In addition to meeting with key importers and
distributors, team members visited the largest cold storage facility in
Japan and were impressed to see the amount of U.S. beef currently entering
the country. They were able to see chilled products arriving from several
Kansas plants as well as many other plants across the United States.
McCauley, who represents northeast Kansas on the corn commission, said the
success of Kansas corn farmers is directly tied to strong markets for Kansas
and U.S. beef and pork.
“Japan is our biggest export customer. We need to keep in close contact and
make sure our customers are happy,” McCauley said. “That’s what we’re here
to do--not only to talk about the beef market but actually help them
increase the pounds coming over here and that translates back home to more
corn demand.”
USMEF has played a key role reopening beef export markets to Asian markets
after a single case of BSE was found in the U.S. late 2003. Baalman, who
represents northwest Kansas on the commission, said work needs to continue
to rebuild those export markets for beef.
“It really affects the U.S. cattleman here today. The lost value is probably
in the range of 100 to 150 a head of lost value in the Japanese market that
could be re-attained if we can just get some cooperation between our two
governments and I think we are just on the cusp of getting that to open up,”
Baalman said. “To me it’s like turning the switch on—the value comes back to
us as corn producers because livestock has always been our number one
customer.”
McCauley said the stop in South Korea after visiting Japan illustrated how
important it is for U.S. beef to regain a foothold in the Korean market.
“When you get into the grocery stores in Korea, it’s a very good selection,
much more selection on products,” McCauley said. “It looked a lot like the
U.S. stores but different products. We got the opportunity to see a lot of
U.S. beef in the stores as well as a lot of Australian corn fed beef, which
surprised me. I think our U.S. beef producers have some real bona fide
competition from Austrailia.”
The Australian beef industry is also working to strengthen Korean markets
for its product. Currently nearly Australian beef has a 65 percent market
share, compared to 15 percent for U.S. beef in Korea. However, a majority of
Korean consumers prefer U.S. beef.
It is important to for corn producers to understand the challenges and
opportunities U.S. beef has in Japan and Korea, according to Timmons, who
represents southeast Kansas on the commission
“We need to be able to understand the problems the beef industry has in
getting their products sold. And Japan is a good example of a place that
really wants our beef but there are the restrictions that have caused a lot
of problems. For the corn commission, it has been important for us to fund
the USMEF, and we’ve seen while we’ve been here they are doing a really good
job. They have a good staff that’s promoting U.S. meat in Japan and Korea.
The work they’re doing with the importers is a good thing for the beef
industry as well as the corn industry.”
The Kansas Corn Commission is grower board that invests the half-cent per
bushel corn checkoff in the areas of market development, research, promotion
and education to increase the profitability of corn.
3-6-09--Kansas
Growers Support Ethanol Industry’s Interest in Raising Ethanol Limit
Interest in the ethanol industry to move beyond the current 10 percent
ethanol regulatory blending cap or “blend wall” would benefit growers of
grains used to make ethanol, according to the Kansas Corn Growers
Association (KCGA) and Kansas Grain Sorghum Producers Association (KGSPA).
Producers in Kansas stand ready to provide the feedstock to make such an
increase successful if it is approved.
The pieces seem to be falling into place to move beyond the blend wall.
Underwriters Laboratories (UL) recently issued a decision that ethanol
blends up to 15 percent can be used in existing fuel pumps. Media reports
say the Environmental Protection Agency is looking at the possibility of
allowing higher ethanol blends, and ethanol industry groups appear poised to
request action from EPA. Kiplinger.com published a letter from Ford Motor
Company supportive of efforts to raise the ethanol blend wall up to 15
percent.
“Our growers have proven time and time again that we can produce enough
grain to satisfy the needs of our customers. Kansas farmers produced over
700 million bushels of corn and grain sorghum on 6.6 million acres in 2008,”
according to Sue Schulte, KCGA and KGSPA communications director. “We will
continue to work with our customers to safely produce an abundant supply of
grain for feed, fuel and food uses. Efforts by the ethanol industry to move
consumer fuel choices beyond the 10 percent ethanol blend wall are both
directly and indirectly tied to our farmers bottom line.”
EPA would be the agency which would determine whether the ethanol level can
be increased.
“We have confidence in EPA’s ability to conduct a science-based review
pertaining to higher ethanol blends,” Schulte said. “There are many credible
studies that would support the ethanol industry’s efforts to increase the
base level of ethanol in fuel up to 15 percent.”
Kansas currently has 12 ethanol operating ethanol plants that produce nearly
450 million gallons of ethanol per year. About 160 million bushels of corn
and grain sorghum are used to make ethanol in Kansas. In 2008, Kansas
farmers produced over 700 million bushels of corn and grain sorghum.
One-third of the grain used for ethanol returns to the feeding stream as
distillers grains, a high-nutrient livestock feed valued by Kansas livestock
feeders.
3-5-2009--Kansas
Corn Commission Supports Corn Farmers Coalition Effort to Tell Growers Story
Grown on family farms throughout Kansas and the
rest of the nation, corn is one of the most versatile crops around. But in
the past year, the crop has been blamed for increasing food prices, using up
valuable land and even raising ticket prices at movie theaters. The Kansas
Corn Commission is one of several state grower organizations that is
educating decision makers on the role of corn farmers through a new effort
called the Corn Farmers Coalition. On Monday, the coalition rolled out a new
website at cornfarmerscoalition.org.
“The Kansas Corn Commission joined with several
other states and the National Corn Growers Association to form this
coalition with one goal—to make sure that the corn grower’s story is told
accurately,” according to KCC Chairman Mike Brzon of Courtland. “Corn
farmers have a great story to tell. We are using less fertilizer, less
chemicals, less water and less tillage and at the same time we are producing
record amounts of corn to supply all our customers.”
The focus of the coalition is educational and
aims to make sure decision makers in Washington and elsewhere have correct
information about corn farming. The coalition launched a web site this week
at cornfarmerscoalition.com as well as an advertising campaign and a
statistical abstract on America’s biggest crop.
“Throughout 2008, we were attacked again and
again from special interest groups who insisted we could not produce enough
corn for our customers,” Brzon said. “We harvested the second largest crop
in history, and we had more corn leftover from 2008 than we did from 2007,
which is the biggest crop ever.”
The coalition will meet with reporters, think
tanks and members of Congress to talk about what’s ahead: how U.S. farmers,
using the latest technologies, will continue to grow enough corn in an
environmentally friendly way to meet all our needs; the prospects for making
the farm bill more responsive to the market; and the future of renewable
fuels, a vital issue for our economy and national security and a key issue
for the new administration. The coalition’s web site has valuable
information that is useful to anyone interested in agriculture.
“This website is also a great resource for
those involved in agriculture. It has a comprehensive fact book with
excellent information,” Brzon said. “For example, farmers grow five times as
much corn as they did in the 1930s — on 20 percent less land. And we produce
70 percent more corn per pound of fertilizer than we did in the 1970s. This
is the type of valuable information that is offered on the
cornfarmerscoalition.org web site.”
The Kansas Corn Commission is a grower board
that invests the half-cent per bushel corn checkoff in the areas of market
development, research, promotion and education to increase the profitability
of Kansas corn.
3-3-09--KSU
Students Get Free Ethanol Fuel and Talk About Renewables
A two hour fuel promotion at the Manhattan Coop drew more than 200
carloads of K-State students looking for free fuel, free lunch and a chance
to talk about renewable fuels. The event was spearheaded by the Renewable
Fuels Association and sponsored by the Kansas Corn Commission to kick off a
national campaign to engage college students in a conversation about
renewable fuels.
For two hours on March 2, representatives of the Kansas Corn Commission and
the Renewable Fuels Association gave free ethanol-blended fuel fill-ups to
KSU students. The Manhattan Coop has both E10 for all gas-powered vehicles
and E85 fuel for flexible fuel vehicles that can operate on fuel up to 85
percent ethanol. Students also got a free lunch and were offered t-shirts or
fuel cards for recording video clips about renewable resources.
The Coop, located just east of Manhattan off of Highway 24, was a good
location for the large turnout, according to Kansas Corn Commission Chairman
Mike Brzon of Courtland.
“We had a steady line of traffic that was up to a half mile long at times,”
Brzon said. “This gave us the opportunity to talk to hundreds of college
students and get them get them to think about renewable fuels like ethanol.
I believe we accomplished a lot at this event, and it is just the beginning
of a much larger effort.”
The event’s organizers used on campus advertising as well as internet sites
to spread the word. Organizers talked to students on campus, advertised in
the student newspaper and used Facebook and the e85challenge.com website to
let students know about the event.
“That’s what this Flex Fuel Challenge is all about,” according to Robert
White of RFA. “It’s about utilizing viral marketing, going through websites
like Facebook. We actually created e85challenge.com to mirror those so you
can add friends, you can have discussions and post pictures and do videos so
that others can work within that medium to promote renewable energy.”
About 40 video clips were shot at the event as students took turns answering
the question “What Does Renewable Mean to You?” The videos will be posted on
the e85challenge.com website. The Manhattan event kicked off a larger
on-line effort to spread the word about renewables and to encourage others
to submit videos on renewables. The Flex Fuel Challenge is looking for
creative ideas on renewables and encourages participants to spread the word
to get votes for their video submission. The entry with the most votes will
win a MacBook Air laptop computer.
In addition to the Kansas Corn Commission, sponsors of the Flex Fuel
Challenge include the United Sorghum Checkoff Program and the Kentucky Corn
Growers Association. For more information, visit the e85challenge.com
website or the Kansas Corn Commission website at www.ksgrains.com.
The Kansas Corn Commission is a grower board that invests the half-cent per
bushel corn checkoff in the areas of market development, research, promotion
and education to increase the profitability of Kansas corn.
2-23-09--Kansas Growers Support
UL Decision for Higher Ethanol Blend
February 23, 2009--Underwriters Laboratories (UL) announced on February 19
that it would support permitting existing gasoline dispensers to use up to
15 percent ethanol with no modifications. Dispensers certified under UL 87
were intended for gasoline with up to 10 percent ethanol, but UL said its
data supported the use of higher ethanol blends up to 15 percent.
Kansas Corn Growers Association leaders said this determination could open
the door for higher blends of ethanol. “With 10 percent ethanol blends
becoming so commonplace, the ethanol industry is nearing what is called a
“blend wall” with the limitation of 10 percent ethanol in gasoline for
non-flex fuel vehicles,” KCGA Executive Director Jere White said. “This UL
decision will play an important role in allowing a higher percentage of
ethanol fuel for use in vehicles.”
The U.S. already has the capacity to displace seven percent of the nation’s
gasoline use. In Kansas, ethanol currently displaces over six percent of the
state’s gasoline at the pump. EPA regulations limit ethanol to 10 percent in
non-flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs). While there are about seven million
flexible fuel vehicles that can use up to 85 percent ethanol, the vast
majority of automobiles are limited to 10 percent ethanol at this time.
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack has said that his agency is in discussions with
EPA to increase the amount of grain-based ethanol blended into gasoline.
Vilsack recently told the financial news service Bloomberg, “I do think it’s
important for us to look for strategies to make sure the infrastructure of
the ethanol industry is preserved, because it is a key component to this new
energy future the president’s laid out,” Vilsack said.
Without the UL approval for fuel dispensers, infrastructure costs would have
made any EPA decision to increase ethanol blends more difficult to
implement.
“EPA may end up approving a higher ethanol percentage, but without allowing
existing pumps to dispense those higher blends, implementing the higher
percentage would be much more expensive and cumbersome. Thanks to the UL
decision, if a higher blend is allowed by EPA, stations can increase the
percentage of ethanol in their fuel within the guidelines without making
expensive infrastructure changes,” White said.
According to the UL news release, “UL stresses that existing fuel dispensers
certified under UL 87 were for intended use with ethanol blends up to E10,
which is the current legal limit for non-flex fuel vehicles in the United
States under the federal Clean Air Act. However, data the company has
gathered as part of the organization’s ongoing research to investigate the
impact of using higher ethanol blends in fuel dispensing systems supports
that existing dispensers can be used with ethanol blends up to 15%.”
Visit ksgrains.com for more information about Kansas corn and Kansas
ethanol.
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1-30-09--Ethanol
Blender Pump Locations Grow In Kansas
An ethanol blender pump opening in Topeka this week showcased efforts to
expand the availability of mid-grade ethanol fuels to Kansas drivers.
The grand opening of the new ethanol blender pumps at the Conoco at 1531
SW Wanamaker Rd., Topeka was held on Jan. 28. The Topeka station is the
eighth Kansas station to offer mid-grade ethanol fuel blends. The Kansas
Corn Commission is leading an effort to add 100 ethanol blender pumps in
the state. The corn commission is working with Growth Energy to offer
technical and promotional support and financial incentives to help
stations offset the costs of adding ethanol blender pumps.
“Kansas is one of the first states to allow blender pumps, giving
motorists more choices for renewable fuels. Forward-thinking action by
the Kansas Department of Agriculture established guidelines to allow the
use of blender pumps in our state,” according to Jere White, Kansas Corn
Commission executive director. “Corn producers see the value in
expanding markets for ethanol within our state.”
Kansas now has eight fuel stations that offer mid-grade ethanol fuels at
blender pumps located in Topeka, Coffeyville, Hutchinson, Garden City,
Lawrence, Ottawa, Dodge City and Colwich.
Blender pumps can offer several blends of ethanol. The most common
blends are E20, E30, E40 and E85. The “E” in the designation indicates
that the fuel contains ethanol—and the number associated with it is the
percentage of ethanol in that blend. For example, E20 is 20% ethanol,
80% gasoline. Any gas-powered engine can use E10, a 10 percent ethanol
fuel blend. In the past year, a large percentage of gasoline sold in
Kansas contained 10 percent ethanol. Fuels with more than 10 percent
ethanol should be used in flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs). State
guidelines require blender pumps to be clearly labeled to make sure the
buyer understands that ethanol blends above 10 percent ethanol are
intended only for use in flexible fuel vehicles.
Kansas Secretary of Agriculture Adrian Polansky participated in the
Topeka blender pump event and announced that his department had
finalized the state’s blender pump guidelines after a year-long pilot
project. "Information we collected during the pilot project confirms
that blending pumps can consistently and accurately dispense a range of
ethanol blends from a single pump," Polansky said. "This is a real boon
for owners of flexible fuel vehicles who want more choice."
The Topeka grand opening event also celebrated the creation of a new
joint venture between fuel distributor Crescent Oil Company, ethanol
plant design and builder ICM, Inc. and ethanol company Poet to provide a
delivery system for mid-grade ethanol fuels. Crescent Oil, which is
involved in the Topeka and Coffeyville stations, plans to add ethanol
blender pumps at several more locations in Kansas and throughout the
Midwest.
Ethanol blender pumps are located at the following Kansas locations:
Topeka: Conoco, 1531 SW Wanamaker
Coffeyville: Jump Start, 512 NW St.
Hutchinson: Hutchinson Coop Cenex, 1200 W. 4th Ave.
Garden City: U Pump It, 156 N. Campus Dr.
Lawrence: Zarco 66, 9th & Iowa St.
Ottawa: Zarco 66, 2518 East Logan St. (I-35 and Hwy 68)
Dodge City: Dodge City Coop, 800 W. Trail St.
Colwich: TJ’s Convenience Store, 104 W. Chicago Ave.
For more information on Kansas ethanol and a complete list of fuel
stations that offer blender pumps as well as stations that have E85
pumps, visit the ethanol page at www.ksgrains.com.
--back to top--
12-30-08--Kansas Corn
Producers Post High Marks in Yield Contest
While Kansas growers did not receive national honors in the National
Corn Yield Contest sponsored by the National Corn Growers Association,
the state winners posted high yields in all categories.
The combined average yield of the Kansas winners was 261 bushels per
acre, compared to the estimated state average yield of 137 bushels per
acre. The highest irrigated yield from Kansas belonged to Faye Cyr of
Clyde who had a yield of 296.7 bushels per acre in the Ridge Till
Irrigated division. The highest non-irrigated yield was from Richard
Sudbeck of Seneca who had a yield of 285.8 bushels per acre in the
non-irrigated division.
The national and state contest winners will be honored at the 2009
Commodity Classic to be held at Grapevine, Texas February 26-28. The
Kansas winners of the National Corn Yield Contest are listed below.
Non-Irrigated
1. Richard Sudbeck of Seneca planted DEKALB DKC63-42 for a yield of
285.8 bushels per acre.
2. Carl Reiff of Netawaka planted DEKALB DKC63-42 for a yield of 241.6
bushels per acre.
3. Art & Todd Meier of Topeka planted Pioneer 33T57 for a yield of 239.3
bushels per acre.
No Till/Strip Till Non-Irrigated
1. Douglas P. Johnson of Bendena planted Garst 82H80GT/CB/LL for 258.1
bushels per acre.
2. Don Garlow of Concordia planted Pioneer 34R67 for a yield of 251.3
bushels per acre.
3. Devon Benfer Concordia planted Pioneer 31N30 for a yield of 247.5
bushels per acre.
No Till/Strip Till Irrigated
1. Todd Cyr of Clyde planted Pioneer 32B29 for a yield of 293.4 bushels
per acre.
2. Shawn Taddiken of Clifton planted Pioneer 32B29 for a yield of 262.6
bushels per acre.
3. Cedric Hands of Garden City planted Pioneer 33Y74 for a yield of
259.7 bushels per acre.
Ridge Till Non-Irrigated
1. Jimmy Elder of Linwood planted Pioneer 33K44 for a yield of 206.6
bushels per acre.
2. LeRoy Elder of Linwood planted Pioneer 33D47 for a yield of 194.9
bushels per acre.
Ridge Till Irrigated
1. Faye Cyr of Clyde planted Pioneer 32B29 for a yield of 296.7 bushels
per acre.
2. Harold Lambert of Clyde planted Golden Harvest H-9190HX/LL for a
yield of 274.6 bushels per acre.
3. Ron Jacobson of Concordia planted Pioneer 32B29 for a yield of 271.6
bushels per acre.
Irrigated
1. Gail Cyr of Clyde planted Pioneer 32B29 for a yield of 291.6 bushels
per acre.
2. Merl Rexford of Meade planted Pioneer 33D47 for a yield of 280.2
bushels per acre.
3. Richard Unruh of Copeland planted Pioneer 33Y76 for a yield of 273.5
bushels per acre.
--back to top--
12-10-08--Kansas
Corn Producers Are Meeting Needs of Customers
Corn producers are meeting the needs of their customers and doing it in
a more sustainable manner, according to Kansas Corn Commissioner Ken
McCauley of White Cloud. McCauley, who is past president of National
Corn Growers Association, spoke at the Kansas Corn Producers Dinner held
in conjunction with the Kansas Commodity Classic in early December.
McCauley’s presentation focused not only on the growing demand for corn
spurred by the biofuels industry, but also the ability of growers to
meet the demand on existing acres.
“Today, we are using all available technology to significantly increase
corn production, and there is more technology in the pipeline that will
boost yields even more,” McCauley said. “We can find new markets for
corn and still meet all traditional needs and at the same time, we can
be responsible stewards of our natural resources.”
McCauley said the notion that using corn to make ethanol is the main
reason for rising food prices had been disproved by several credible
sources. He pointed to studies from USDA, Texas A&M, and the Federal
Reserve Bank of Kansas City. A copy of McCauley’s presentation is
available on the Kansas Corn Growers Association website at
www.ksgrains.com.
--back to top--
12-10-08--Kansas Corn
Growers Association Holds Annual Meeting
The Kansas Corn Growers Association held its annual meeting on December
8. Association members heard association reports, reviewed the association’s
resolutions and elected board members. Harvey Heier of Grainfield was
elected to represent the west central district; Armin Nelson of McPherson
was elected to represent the central district, and Roger Pine of Lawrence
was elected to represent the east central district.
The KCGA board held its officer elections after
the annual meeting. Brian Baalman of Menlo was reelected president; Armin
Nelson was elected vice president; Bob Timmons, Fredonia was reelected
secretary, and Charles Foltz, Garnett was reelected treasurer.
--back to top--
11-20-08--Kansas Commodity Classic Is Tuesday,
December 9 at Salina!
As Kansas farmers look ahead to
2009, a number of key questions are looming: can commodity prices
rebound to near-historic highs of 2008? Will input prices stabilize?
Answers to these questions may be found at the annual Kansas Commodity
Classic, slated for Dec. 9 at the Holiday Inn, Salina. The Commodity
Classic is an annual joint convention of the Kansas Association of Wheat
Growers, Kansas Corn Growers Association and Kansas Grain Sorghum
Producers Association.
The day’s educational sessions begin at 9 a.m., when Kansas Secretary of
Agriculture Adrian Polansky leads off with a recap of 2008 and 2009
outlook. The general session continues with a keynote presentation
focusing on the “Strength of the Agricultural Economy,” followed by an
Ag Production Issues panel discussion on the relationship between
agricultural credit, grain marketing and crop inputs. The morning
session concludes with a post-election update on federal government
issues.
Following a complimentary luncheon, a series of breakout sessions will
allow farmers to gain valuable insight into the 2009 crop year. Sessions
include:
--Fertilizer Supply, Demand and Costs;
--Alternative Land Lease Agreements
--End of Year Tax Planning for Farmers
--Rural Development Opportunities
--Marketing Strategies
An ice cream break featuring Call Hall Ice Cream from Kansas State
University - a Kansas Commodity Classic tradition – separates the first
and second breakout sessions. The Commodity Classic is free to farmers,
but pre-registration is encouraged, by calling the Kansas Wheat office
at 866-759-4328
Follow this
link for an agenda of Classic events
.
ANNUAL CORN PRODUCERS DINNER
6 p.m. Monday, December 8
Salina Holiday Inn
Sponsored by the Kansas Corn Commission
All corn producers are invited
Please RSVP at 800-489-2676
KCGA Annual Meeting will follow at 8 p.m.
--back to top--
8-20-08Former Kansas Corn Commissioner Carolyn Dunn Will
Speak at Republican National Convention
Carolyn Dunn of St. John will give a three minute speech on rural
development and agriculture at the Republican National Convention. Dunn,
who completed her term earlier this year as Kansas Corn Commissioner
representing the southcentral Kansas district, will speak on Tuesday,
September 2 in the 7 p.m. hour, according to media reports.
Follow the link below to read a Hutchinson News
article about Carolyn's convention appearance.
St.
John woman is preparing ag speech for GOP convention
--back to top--
8-18-08--Kansas
Corn Commission, EPIC Announce Ethanol Blender Pump Program
Offers funding to help offset infrastructure costs for fuel retailers
Colwich, Kan. (Aug. 18, 2008) - Today Kansas will become the second
state to lead the nation in raising public awareness for higher blends
of ethanol as the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC),
Kansas Corn Commission and ICM, Inc. collaborate to launch a blender
pump incentive program across the state of Kansas.
“Consumers are looking for relief at the pump, and blender pumps will
allow gas stations to sell more blends of ethanol-enriched fuel to
consumers driving flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs),” said EPIC Deputy Director,
Robert White. “This program will provide support and incentives to fuel
station retailers who want the opportunity to offer blender pumps, and
raise awareness among consumers.”
This major initiative will help fuel station retailers obtain funding
and the equipment needed to sell higher blends of ethanol, which range
from E20 (20 percent ethanol and 80 percent unleaded gasoline) to E50
(50 percent ethanol and 50 percent unleaded gasoline) and can only be
used in FFVs. One of the main goals is to increase the state’s blender
pump infrastructure by installing a minimum of 100 blender pumps over
the next year. Currently, four blender pumps are open in the state
thanks to a pilot program adopted by the Kansas Department of
Agriculture that made Kansas one of the first states in the nation to
allow ethanol blender pumps.
“This blender pump program will help expand higher blends of ethanol
through blender pumps while also giving consumers a break at the pump
and allowing them to use a product produced right here in Kansas,” said
Kansas Corn Commission Chairman, Bob Timmons. “Our program will help
strengthen our economy by encouraging blender pump infrastructure
development, and take us one step closer to lessening our dependence on
foreign oil.”
A pump promotion was held before the announcement was made to give FFV
drivers an opportunity to fill up with the mid-level blends of ethanol
at a new station in Colwich Kan. ICM, Inc. was instrumental in adding
blender pumps to this station. Many officials, including U.S. Sen. Sam
Brownback and representatives from the Kansas Department of Agriculture
were on hand to celebrate a monumental day for Kansas and renewable
fuels.
--back to top--
Ethanol Blender Pump
Promotions in Garden City Aug. 14 and Colwich Aug. 18
Garden City Event Details:
WHEN: Friday, August 15, 2008 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
WHAT: Consumers attending the promotion can fill their flex-fuel
vehicles (FFVs) with E10, E20, E40, E50 and E85 for a reduced price. FFV
owners will have a 40 cents discount on E20, 80 cents discount on E40,
$1 discount on E50 and E85 will be offered for just $1.85/gallon. All
drivers can save 20 cents per gallon on E10 fuel, approved for use in
any gas powered vehicle or engine.
WHERE: U Pump It Country Corner
156 N. Campus Drive (Fulton and Campus Drive)
Garden City, KS 67846
Colwich Event Details:
WHEN: Monday, August 18, 2008
Pump promotion: 6:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
Press Conference: 8:30 a.m.
WHAT: Consumers attending the promotion can fill their flex-fuel
vehicles (FFVs) with E10, E20, E30 and E85 for a reduced price. FFV
owners will have a 40 cents discount on E20, 60 cents discount on E30
and E85 will be offered for just $1.85/gallon. All drivers can save 20
cents per gallon on E10 fuel, approved for use in any gas powered
vehicle or engine.
WHERE: TJ’s Convenience Store
Located at the corner of 53rd Street North and 167th Street West
Colwich, KS 67030
Immediately following the promotion, a joint press conference will be
held to announce a major initiative between the Ethanol Promotion and
Information Council (EPIC) and the Kansas Corn Commission. Reporters
will get a detailed look at the new initiative which will encourage
infrastructure development, raise public awareness for higher blends of
ethanol, and increase consumption of ethanol-blended fuel. Speakers will
include Robert White, deputy director of EPIC; Senator Sam Brownback;
Adrian Polansky, Kansas Secretary of Agriculture; Dave Vander Griend,
president and CEO of ICM, Inc.; and Bob Timmons, chairman of the Kansas
Corn Commission.
--back to top--
July 1,
2008--Kansas Growers Plant Largest Corn Crop in Modern History
Kansas farmers planted 4.1 million acres of corn this year,
according to the Kansas Agricultural Statistics Service. The 2008
acreage estimate represents a five percent increase over 2007 and is the
highest corn acreage in Kansas since 1936. The increased acreage shows a
strong grower commitment to provide a plentiful supply of corn for the
livestock and ethanol industries, according to the Kansas Corn Growers
Association and Kansas Corn Commission.
Kansas growers planted 90 percent of their corn acres with varieties
enhanced with biotechnology. 25 percent was planted with Bt corn, 30
percent with herbicide resistant corn, and 35 percent with stacked gene
varieties with both insect and herbicide resistance.
“Our growers are doing what it takes to meet the demand. In Kansas we
are increasing acres and using better corn varieties to supply our
state’s livestock feeders and ethanol plants with the grain they need,”
according to Ken McCauley, White Cloud. McCauley is chairman of National
Corn Growers Association and serves on the Kansas Corn Commission.
In 1936, farmers planted 5.1 million acres of corn in Kansas. Of that,
only 497,000 acres were harvested with a yield of 6 bushels per acre.
Total production was just 2.96 million bushels.
Grain sorghum and corn plantings are also up. Growers planted 2.85
million acres of grain sorghum, up 2 percent from 2007. Growers planted
a record 3.2 million acres of soybeans, up 23 percent from 2007.
Combined feedgrain acres in Kansas (corn and sorghum) total 6.95 million
acres, up 3.7 percent from 2007. Corn and grain sorghum are both valued
in Kansas for livestock and ethanol production.
--back to top--
5-16-08--Rumors of Ethanol
Disinformation Campaign Prove to Be True
In early May, the Kansas Corn Growers Association put out a news release
pointing to rumors of a multi-million dollar public relations campaign
against ethanol funded by the food manufacturering industry. This week,
Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper, outed the Grocery Manufacturers
Association’s smear campaign. On Thursday, Iowa Senator Charles Grassley
went a step further, making a statement about the campaign on the Senate
floor. The Senator also posted the GMA request for proposal as well as
the public relations campaign proposal from Washington, DC firm Glover
Park which was one of the P.R. firms hired for the job.
The Kansas Corn Growers Association along with the National Corn Growers
Association thanked Senator Grassley and Roll Call for reporting on the
disinformation campaign. Corn growers will continue to combat these
well-funded public relations campaigns with facts.
“Commodity prices account for less than 20 percent of the cost you pay
for food at the checkout. Even today’s higher commodity prices have very
little effect on the price of food. The other 80 percent of the grocery
costs which include transportation, packaging and processing are greatly
affected by rising energy costs,” according to KCGA Executive Director
Jere White. “We’re not saying it doesn’t cost more to produce groceries
today, but main culprit is not the farmer, not higher grain prices and
not ethanol.”
The public relations proposal prepared for GMA suggested several
tactics.
“First, we must obliterate whatever intellectual justification might
still exist for corn-based ethanol among policy elites. ... Second, we
must demonstrate to policy makers at the state and federal level that
there is a political price to allowing ethanol policy to drive up the
cost of food,” the Glover Park firm’s proposal stated.
Senator Grassley read a statement on the Senate floor Thursday
chastising GMA for its tactics.
“They’ve outlined their strategy of using environmental, hunger and food
aid groups to demonstrate their contrived “crisis,” Grassley said. “I
think it’s important for policy-makers and the American people to know
who’s behind this effort.”
The GMA has already been successful in getting this misinformation into
stories by the national and regional news media outlets
“We are asking the public and our policy makers to look past the
rhetoric and misinformation being manufactured by high powered
Washington DC public relations firms, and simply use some common sense
and look at the facts,” White said. “Look at your own budget—the main
driver in increased spending in your house is higher fuel and energy
costs. The same holds true for grocery manufacturers and for farmers
alike. It doesn’t make sense to go after the ethanol industry, which is
adding 7 billion gallons of refined fuel to our nation’s energy supply.
Without ethanol, our energy costs would be even higher.”
NCGA President Ron Litterer said corn growers were disappointed the food
manufacturers took this action.
“It is simply unfathomable that food companies through the Grocery
Manufacturers Association chose to smear their farmer-suppliers rather
than cooperate with us to meet the growing challenge for America’s fuel
needs,” Litterer said. “Unfortunately, from what we’ve heard this is not
the only campaign in the works to place the blame on agriculture.”
--back to top--
5-5-08-Consumers to Pay
for Several Months of Corn, Ethanol Bashing
Despite several research studies showing that ethanol production and
higher corn prices have only a small effect on consumer prices,
anti-ethanol forces have teamed up to sway public opinion against
farmers and the fuel they produce. The Kansas Corn Growers Association
believes facts, not well-funded public relations campaigns, should
prevail.
“We are hearing that the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) has
embarked on a multi-million campaign through a Washington, DC public
relations firm to turn public opinion against corn-based ethanol,”
according to Kansas Corn Growers Association Executive Director Jere
White. “Several credible studies released this year show high fuel
prices have a much greater impact on food prices than higher corn
prices.”
White said consumers are wondering why there has been little connection
made between fuel prices and grocery prices.
“That’s where the story gets interesting. In addition to GMA, we are
told the oil industry has chipped in millions to the campaign as well,”
White said. “Consumers are paying higher prices at the pump and at the
checkout. Then the oil companies and food companies are using that money
to blame ethanol for higher food and fuel prices.”
While corn and ethanol producers have the facts on their side, it will
be difficult to beat a multi-million campaign aimed at rolling back the
advances made by the ethanol industry, much of which is owned by
growers. Corn growers have been working to make sure the public is
receiving both sides of the story.
“Corn and ethanol producers simply don’t have millions of dollars to
spend on glossy PR campaigns,” White said. “What we do have are facts:
several studies showing that ethanol production and higher corn prices
account for just a fraction of the increase consumers are paying at the
grocery store. Commodity prices account for less than 20 percent of the
cost of groceries, the rest is transportation, packaging, marketing and
other factors. Plus, ethanol actually reduces the cost of gas for
consumers at the pump”
While food prices are higher, White points out prices for non-food items
are also higher, including things farmers purchase to grow their crops
like fuel and fertilizer.
“It doesn’t take much common sense to understand that the big driver in
increased grocery prices is fuel prices,” White said. “Sure you’re
paying more for food, but you’re also paying more for laundry soap and
toilet paper. Production and transportation costs are up primarily
because of increased fuel prices—especially diesel prices. The real
story is $120 crude oil and the foreign regimes it supports. It is time
we say enough and support America first.”
--back to top--
3-21-08--Kansas
Grain Commodity Growers Elect Commissioners
TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Agriculture today announced the
names of producers from the central third of the state who were elected
to the state’s five grain commodity commissions – corn, grain sorghum,
soybeans, sunflowers and wheat.
This was the third election cycle for districts four, five and six under
the new law that privatized the commissions in July 2000. District Four
commissioners represent north-central Kansas; District Five
commissioners represent central Kansas, and District Six commissioners
represent south-central Kanas.
Ballots were cast between January 15 and March 1 and were counted at the
Kansas
Department of Agriculture on March 7. The newly elected commissioners
will take office April 1 and will serve three-year terms.
Commissioners-Elect for the Kansas Corn Commission
District four – Mike Brzon, who grows corn, soybeans, sorghum and wheat
in Republic County. He currently serves on the Kansas Corn Commission
and is a director on the U.S. Grains Council and Farmway Cooperative
Inc. Brzon also is active in water issues in the Republican River basin
in Kansas and Nebraska.
District five – Terry Vinduska, who grows corn, grain sorghum, soybeans,
wheat and alfalfa on a family farm in Marion County. He currently serves
on the Kansas Corn Commission and is a member of the U.S. Grains
Council, Kansas Farmers Union and Kansas Farm Bureau. Vinduska has a
bachelor’s degree in agricultural technology from Kansas State
University.
District six – Kent Moore, who grows corn, wheat and soybeans in Pratt
County. He is a member of the Kansas Corn Growers Association and the
Kansas Association of Wheat Growers, and he is on the board of directors
for the Pratt County 4-H Foundation. Moore has a bachelor’s degree in
agricultural economics from Kansas State University.
Commissioners-Elect for the Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission
District four – William Greving, who grows corn, sorghum, wheat and hay
in Phillips County. He currently is secretary-treasurer of the Kansas
Grain Sorghum Commission, serves on the board of the National Sorghum
Producers and is a member of the Kansas Livestock Association, the
Kansas Association of Wheat Growers and the Kansas Corn Growers
Association. Greving has a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from Fort
Hays State University.
District five – Clayton Short, who grows corn, sorghum, wheat and
soybeans in Saline County. He currently serves on the Kansas Grain
Sorghum Commission and is a member of the Kansas Grain Sorghum
Association and Kansas Association of Wheat Growers. Short has a
bachelors degree in agriculture from Kansas State University.
District six – Dennis Siefkes, who grows corn, grain sorghum, soybeans
and wheat in Stafford County. He is a member of the Kansas Grain Sorghum
Producers Association, the Stafford County Farm Bureau and the Great
Bend Cooperative Association, and a past member of the Kansas Corn
Commission. Siefkes has a bachelor’s degree in agriculture mechanization
from Kansas State University.
Commissioners-Elect for the Kansas Soybean Commission
District four – Steve Clanton, who grows corn, grain sorghum, soybeans,
sunflowers and wheat in Ottawa County. He currently serves on the Kansas
Soybean Commission. He has been involved in many organizations,
including the local extension and soil conservation board and the Kansas
Soybean Association. He is a past president of the Kansas Association of
Wheat Growers. Clanton has a bachelor’s degree in engineering from
Kansas State University.
District five – Harold Kraus, who grows corn, grain sorghum, soybeans
and wheat in Ellis County. He has served on the Kansas Soybean
Commission since 1999, is a member of Kansas Farm Bureau and is a voting
member of the National Biodiesel Board. Kraus has a bachelor’s degree in
business from the University of Kansas.
District six – Jerry Wyse, who grows wheat, corn, grain sorghum and
soybeans in Reno County. He currently serves on the Kansas Soybean
Commission and is past president and CEO of Kauffman Seeds Inc. Wyse has
an associate’s degree in liberal arts from Hesston College.
Commissioners-Elect for the Kansas Wheat Commission
District four – Steve Clanton, who also was elected to the Kansas
Soybean Commission.
He grows corn, grain sorghum, soybeans, sunflowers and wheat in Ottawa
County. He currently serves on the Kansas Soybean Commission. He has
been involved in many organizations, including the local extension and
soil conservation board and the Kansas Soybean Association. He is a past
president of the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers. Clanton has a
bachelor’s degree in engineering from Kansas State University.
District five – Dean Stoskopf, who grows wheat, grain sorghum and
alfalfa, and has a cow-calf herd in Barton County. He currently is
finishing his second term on the Kansas Wheat Commission, he is a past
president of the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers and is a current
member of Kansas Farm Bureau. Stoskopf has a degree in agriculture from
Kansas State University.
Distinct six – Scott Van Allen, who grows sorghum and wheat in Sumner
County. He is a past president and current member of the Sumner County
Farm Bureau. Van Allen has also been on Kansas Farm Bureau’s wheat
advisory board for the past two years. Van Allen is a graduate of
Clearwater High School.
Commissioner-Elect for the Kansas Sunflower Commission
There were no candidates for commissioner in districts four, five and
six. Commissioners will be appointed by the Kansas Sunflower Commission.
2009 Election Will Cover Western Third of State
Corn, grain sorghum, soybean, sunflower and wheat growers in the western
third of the state can expect to receive information by mail this fall
outlining the 2009 election procedure.
District one includes Cheyenne, Decatur, Graham, Norton, Rawlins
Sheridan, Sherman and Thomas counties.
District two includes Gove, Greeley, Lane, Logan, Ness, Scott, Trego,
Wallace and Wichita counties.
District three includes Clark, Finney, Ford, Grant, Gray, Hamilton,
Haskell, Hodgeman, Kearny, Meade, Morton, Seward, Stanton and Stevens
counties.
Grain growers who plan to campaign for a seat on one of the commissions
must collect on an official petition form 20 signatures from eligible
voters to be included on the 2009 ballot. Official petition forms will
be available through the Kansas Department of Agriculture or one of the
grain commodity commissions.
No more than five signatures from any one county will be used to qualify
a candidate. Eligible voters are Kansas residents who will reach age 18
before the election and have been growing corn, grain sorghum, soybeans,
sunflowers or wheat during the last three years. The filing deadline for
candidates is November 30, 2008.
--back to top--
2-25-08--Lawrence Station
Offers Four Ethanol Blends
A new biofuels station in Lawrence is the first to participate in
the state’s ethanol blender pump pilot program by offering four blends
of ethanol fuels. Motorists can purchase E10, E20, E30 and E85 fuel at
the Zarco66 biofuels station at 9th & Iowa in Lawrence.
The station is the first of its kind in Kansas, selling only ethanol
blended fuels as well as several biodiesel blends as well.
Kansas is one of a handful of states that allow ethanol to be blended at
different levels with a blender pump. The pumps are labeled to make sure
the buyer understands that ethanol blends above 10 percent ethanol are
intended only for use in flexible fuel vehicles.
Interest in mid-range ethanol blends is increasing. Earlier this year,
the American Coalition for Ethanol and the US Department of Energy
released results of a study that showed mid-range ethanol blends, fuel
mixtures with more ethanol than E10 but less than E85, can in some cases
provide better fuel economy than regular unleaded gasoline, even in
standard, non-flex-fuel vehicles.
Previous assumptions held that ethanol's lower energy content directly
correlates with lower fuel economy for drivers. Those assumptions were
found to be incorrect in the study. Instead, the new research strongly
suggests that there is an "optimal blend level" of ethanol and gasoline
- most likely E20 or E30 - at which flexible fuel vehicles will get
better mileage than predicted based strictly on the fuel's per-gallon
Btu content. The study, cosponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and
the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), also found that mid-range
ethanol blends reduce harmful tailpipe emissions.
In addition to the favorable fuel economy findings, the research
provides strong evidence that standard, non-flex-fuel vehicles can
operate on ethanol blends beyond 10 percent. Additional research is
being done on the use of higher blends of ethanol in non-flexible fuel
vehicles. New standards for ethanol use in non-flexible fuel vehicles
have not been set, and motorists are reminded that ethanol blends above
10 percent are for flexible fuel vehicles which can operate on any
combination of gas and ethanol up to 85 percent ethanol.
A May grand opening event is being planned for the Zarco66 biofuels
station. Details on the grand opening event will be released when
available.
For more information on Kansas corn, grain sorghum and ethanol, visit
www.ksgrains.com.
--back to top--
1-4-08--Three New
Plants Double Kansas Ethanol Production
Kansas ethanol production ended 2007 on a high note with the startup of
the 110 million gallon Arkalon Energy ethanol plant near Liberal. The 55
million gallon Gateway Ethanol plant at Pratt and the 55 million gallon
Bonanza Bioenergy plant in Garden City, both began production in the
fall of 2007. The addition of these three plants more than doubled the
ethanol production capacity for Kansas, according to the Kansas Corn
Growers Association and Kansas Grain Sorghum Producers Association.
“We began 2007 eight plants producing 215 million gallons of fuel
ethanol. Today, we have eleven plants producing 439 million gallons of
ethanol, providing a market for 156 million bushels of corn and grain
sorghum,” according to Jere White, KCGA and KGSPA executive director. “A
third of that grain, about 52 million bushels, returns as distillers
grains, a nutrient-dense livestock feed.”
Kansas corn and sorghum growers harvested over 730 million bushels of
feedgrains in 2007. Combined, the crops saw a 49 percent increase in
production over 2006.
“We had good growing conditions in most parts of the state in 2007, but
you also have to recognize that we are seeing some of those increases
because of advances in hybrids and improved farming practices,” White
said.
While grain demand from the ethanol sector has increase, Kansas
producers continue to be able to supply the livestock industry with the
grain it needs. The U.S. is coming off a record year. 2007 corn
production numbers show record production and a large carryout, or
unused corn, set at 1.9 billion bushels. This is the third largest
carryout in the past ten years.
“Our number 1 customer continues to be the livestock industry, and our
growers are showing that we can supply grain to both the livestock and
ethanol industries. In turn, the ethanol industry supplies high nutrient
distillers grains to the livestock industry, offsetting at least a third
of the grain that goes to ethanol production.”
Livestock also remains a priority for the Kansas Corn Commission, which
administers the state’s half-cent per bushel corn checkoff, White said.
More than half of the corn commission research funding is related to
livestock.
While ethanol production is increasing in Kansas, so is the availability
of ethanol blended fuels. E85, 85 percent ethanol fuel for flexible fuel
vehicles is available at 28 stations across the state.
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12-26-07--Array of
ethanol blends possible under pilot project
TOPEKA -- Flexible fuel vehicle owners could get more choices at the
pump under a pilot project launched by the Kansas Department of
Agriculture.
“Fueling stations currently sell gasoline blended with either 10 percent
or 85 percent ethanol,” said Kansas Secretary of Agriculture Adrian
Polansky. “This pilot project will allow them to install pumps that
dispense ethanol fuel blends not currently offered, like 20 or 30
percent ethanol, to allow consumers to decide for themselves which blend
is best for them based on price and performance.”
All vehicles on the road today can use gasoline blended with 10 percent
ethanol, or E10. Flexible fuel vehicles, however, can use higher blends
with up to 85 percent ethanol. The blender pumps authorized under the
pilot project will allow flexible fuel vehicle owners to purchase such
blends as E20, E30, E50 or E85.
“The U.S. Department of Transportation is now testing how regular fuel
vehicles perform on higher ethanol blends. Initial research shows that
E15 and E20 blends deliver the same environmental benefits without any
adverse effect on vehicle engines,” Polansky said. “It’s very possible
the Department of Transportation may one day endorse using these higher
ethanol blends in non-flexible fuel vehicles.”
In the meantime, to ensure unwitting consumers don’t accidentally pump a
higher ethanol blend into their vehicle than it can manage, the pumps
will feature a bright orange label with the message “For use in flexible
fuel vehicles only.”
The Kansas Department of Agriculture’s weights and measures program
regulates gas pumps for accuracy and verifies the fuel’s
characteristics, including octane rating and whether the fuel contains
impurities. Program staff will ensure that equipment used to dispense
the ethanol blended fuel is suitable and properly installed, and that
fuel quantity and quality standards are met.
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